Two Ones
by rowanred81
Summary: Alt!Chloe in the main timeline! Genderfluid Max! Romance, humor, fluff, and some tear-jerking moments. What happens when Max travels back in time to undo saving William's life, and the alternate timeline's Chloe Price is dragged along for the ride? No looking back, only moving forward! Max's powers are essentially gone upon return to the main timeline.


**Two Ones**

 **Song by Iska Dhaaf**

 **A word regarding pronouns – Ze, Hir, and Hirself are all used in this story as pronouns for Genderfluid!Max. They are actual pronouns used for and by genderfluid people. Chloe still refers to Max with feminine pronouns only until Max comes out to her; the misgendering is meant to convey Chloe not knowing about Max. If there are any discrepancies, Max referred to inaccurately while the story is in a section that is perspectively shifted toward hir, I will fix it. I ran through this story a couple times, though, so I'm hoping I caught everything.**

 **Enjoy! It's not as sad as it sounds.**

"I said leave, Max," Chloe snapped bitterly, her head still turned away as Max's eyes teared up. "Please… Please just go, Max…"

"I-I'm _not_ leaving you. Not again," Max took Chloe's lifeless hand and clutched at it, hir eyes fixated on the blonde. _You can't give up on me yet, Chloe, and you can't give up on yourself. I've been through so much,_ you _have been through so much._ "You can't expect me to do something like… like what you asked as though it's nothing. You told me you loved me, Chloe, and I love you. I won't let you die, I won't."

Hir bedridden friend still refusing to look at her, Max could see that the tension on Chloe's face was lessening and Max laid hir head on the photo album. _What am I supposed to do? The Max here… She doesn't sound like the type of person who would be the support Chloe needs. Full-on Vortex assimilation. "We are the Vortex. Resistance is hipster bullshit, so go fuck your selfie." Dog, I_ am _a total nerd. Fuck! How do I save this Chloe, this sweet angel? Think, Max. Think!_ Opening hir eyes, Max looked at the photo of hirself and Chloe from five years ago and watched the picture flicker as it had before. Eyes widening, Max pulled back as the movement in an otherwise still photo increased. Max's attention was riveted on the photo so much that ze didn't notice Chloe's hand in hir own as ze felt hirself get pulled into the small moment in time until it was too late.

"Max?!" Chloe sounded hysterical and as Max's consciousness left the body of hir alternate self, the horror of what was happening dawned on the little brunette. _Oh no. Oh no, this has never happened before! She's coming with me…! Chloe's coming with…!_ Chloe Price, a grimace of intense pain on her face, cried out mutely as her mind was transported along with Max's into 2008.

"…the flash didn't scare you, Max," William Price said with a warm grin on his face as he began to wave the instant photo in his hand, "This one is a… Chloe!"

 _Oh no_ , Max thought as ze spun around to see Chloe fall to her knees, eyes becoming bloodshot at a rapid enough pace that the blonde girl closed them tight and attempted to curl into a ball on the floor. _Oh fuck, oh shit, this is bad. Max, what the fuck were you thinking?! I… I pulled her back with me? Is it because I held onto her hand?_ Kneeling down on the side of Chloe opposite of where William knelt, Max put a hand on the other girl's shoulder and frowned as Chloe spasmed and twitched from the touch. _She hasn't had control of her body in years. Nice going, Max. You just traumatized your… whatever she is, whoever she is, she's still Chloe._

"C-Chloe?" Max's tentative voice was soft as ze leaned in close, "Chloe, it's me. It's Max. Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"…This isn't real," Max heard Chloe whisper and the brunette melted inside from the tortured way hir childhood friend spoke. The tall girl's arms and legs twitched a few more times before Chloe slowly pulled them into a fetal position, "T-This is a dream and I'll wake up and Max will be giving me that same grin I saw last night-"

"I-I still think your hair would look awesome in blue, Chlo," Max whispered, having leaned in close enough that William wasn't able to overhear. When Max saw Chloe's eyes snap open as something dawned on her, ze cautiously squeezed the other girl's shoulder, "I'm _here_ , Chloe, right here _with you_. You are not dreaming. I need you to stand, okay? Do you need me to help you up?"

Chloe nodded meekly and the brunette slid hirself under the shoulder her best friend wasn't lying on. Grunting slightly from the effort, Max helped Chloe to her feet and leaned the blonde against the small counter separating the dining room area from the kitchen. Seeing William's worried face, Max asked if he could get some Tylenol from upstairs and promised that ze would keep an eye on his daughter. Max craned hir head to observe William as he went out into the hall and didn't return hir attention to Chloe until he was headed up the stairs.

"Chloe-"

"Max, the pancakes are burning," Chloe's voice was weak but the color in her face was starting to return. If anything, Max was more concerned with the deeply inquisitive look on hir friend's face.

"Shit," Max said through gritted teeth before hurrying over to switch off the stove-top and remove the smoking pan.

"I don't see any Tylenol, Max," William called out from upstairs, "Chloe, you okay?"

"U-Uh…" Chloe stammered, looking as though she might go back into shock.

"She's still kinda out of it, William," Max quickly replied, leaning hir head out of the kitchen doorway so ze could see William, "Um, d-do you have any ibuprofen?"

When Max saw William's feet on the top stair turn and disappear back up to the second floor ze let out a sigh of relief before hurrying back to Chloe's side. The blonde girl's complexion having returned to normal, Chloe looked at Max with an eagerness. _I'm not sure if I like that look_.

"Did we… Are we in the past?" Chloe asked, her excitable nature in full gear as she looked down at the Arcadia Bay sweatshirt she was wearing, "Max, we just went back in time! How the fuck did this happen?"

"…I-I… Ugh. _Ugh_. …Chloe, I have the ability to manipulate time." _Head first, amirite? Time to let it all out, Max. Nothing else left but the truth._ "I discovered it last Monday when… oh, _no_. This is bad…"

"Max," Chloe's tone changed to one of concern, her arm moving stiffly so that her hand could rest on Max's shoulder, "Talk to me. You said you can rewind time? If I weren't here right now with you, I wouldn't fucking believe it, but _holy shit_ this is real! What's wrong?"

Max was about to answer when the phone rang. Max turned sharply in the direction of the Price household's telephone going off. _Not now! It's too soon! I… I need more time_. Grabbing Chloe's hand, feeling ze had no choice, Max lifted up hir hand and rewound time to where they had entered their past selves. Wincing as the back of hir head began to dully throb, Max sighed in relief before a flashbulb nearly blinded hir. Crying out in shock, the brunette scowled William Price laughed.

"Sorry, Max. Didn't mean to scare you with the flash, but I think this one will be a keeper," William said, not noticing the wide-eyed look Chloe gave him before her attention turned to Max. Chloe silently mouthed " _What the fuck?" a_ t Max before walking over towards the brunette. "Chloe? I thought you two were going to help me with breakfast."

"We, um, we totally need some girl talk," Max chimed in, the words sounding idiotic in hir mouth as Chloe smirked in reply. "I, uh, I mean that-"

"Max is crushing head-first on someone and needs my amazing skills to aid her on her epic quest," Chloe blurted out before giving her father an apologetic grin. Being pulled along by the wrist, Max winced in pain as they headed into the room that could possibly be Chloe's in five years. _If I save William again, that is. If I don't let him find his keys._ Shaking hirself free, Max ran to the coffee table and snatched William's car keys before joining Chloe in the space normally reserved for storage. "Talk, Max. You can fucking travel in time."

"This, going _back_ in time, is new," Max explained hurriedly, knowing they were on a clock as ze pocketed William's keys. "Before I could only rewind time and sometimes pause it. I can't do neither for very long, and this is the same so our time is limited. When I took your hand… when I grabbed onto you in your bedroom I somehow brought you back with me. I-"

"Hold up, Max McFly," Chloe lifted up a hand, eyes narrowed slightly, "You were _intentionally_ coming back here? Why?"

"…I don't know how to even fucking _think_ it, Chloe, much less tell you…"

"Didn't you say we're on a clock? Just say it already, nerd."

"Well," Max closed hir eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing, "I'm not your Max for starters."

"W-What?" Chloe instinctively pulled back, looking at Max in alarm. _Shit, I shouldn't have said that. Why the fuck did I start with that?_ "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You're not 'my Max'?"

"I will totally explain everything when this is over and we're back in our time, Chloe, but I need you to understand something. Do you know how your dad left to go pick up your Joyce on this day?"

"…I think so. Wait," Chloe became puzzled, her eyes scrutinizing a spot on the floor in front of Max before she looked up, "No, my dad took the bus. You were the one who suggested it, right?"

Max bit hir lip and, letting go of Chloe's hand, rewound time with hir other to the point right before ze had asked about Joyce needing a ride. _My karma might go to shit for this, but there are some things I just can't tell you. I ruined everything once already, Chloe. I can't do it again._ Lowering hir hand to allow time to resume its forward movement, Max looked at Chloe with a heartbroken smile. _She's not my Chloe, and I'm not her Max…_

"Look, I swear I will tell you whatever you need to know when this is all through, Chloe, but right now I just need you to trust me. Can you do that?" Max tried to steel herself, helping Chloe stay upright as the blonde's legs buckled.

"I haven't walked in years, Max," Chloe said with a glint in her eyes, "There's so much I want to do right now, but there are also so many things I need to know-"

 _Beep-beep beep. Beep-beep beep._

 _The keys_. Max looked down at hir pocket and realized what needed to be done. Burying hir guilt over what ze was about to do, Max opened the door back out into the living room and pulled the keys out of hir pocket to the amusement of William Price.

"F-Found 'em in the storage room, William," Max said, giving Chloe's father a forced smile before quickly looking away. Max wanted to cry, wanted to rewind back to where ze was somehow back in that bedroom with a bedridden Chloe. _She's going to come back with me and everything is going to be so different. My Chloe… What'll happen to her? No, this isn't fair!_ Hir small hands clenched into fists, Max held them at hir sides as ze watched William walk away. Chloe awkwardly came out of the room behind hir, her steps sluggish and ungainly as she braced herself against everything within reach. _She must have wiped herself out just dragging me into the storage room_ , Max thought as the blonde looked up at hir from where she had been keeping an eye on her feet.

"Max? Max, where'd my dad go?" Chloe asked as the world around them faded into a white, empty void.

 _Images flooded Max's mind as history was corrected to match hir actions. Where Chloe had been happily standing between her parents for a family photo, she now was all in black at William's funeral. Image after image assaulted Max and she just wanted it to be over._ I sacrificed William, but for what? For who? Will it be my Chloe whose eyes I look into, or will it be the girl in the hospital bed? Both are Chloe, but one of them is _my_ Chloe. Will she disappear, like the other Max did when I showed up? Where did she go? Where will my Chloe go…? _Hir mind was enveloped in the white void from before, having reached through time and space to arrive back in the present day of her own timeline…_

* * *

 _"In my mind_...," Max thought ze heard the music say as awareness began to creep back into hir body.

The song playing on Chloe's Hi-Fi was muffled, sounding as though it was coming from underwater as Max slowly became aware of hir surroundings. Hir body not wanting to cooperate at first, Max looked around with hir eyes working a second or two behind hir train of thought. _It's like everything is in some kind of motion blur_ , the brunette mused as ze realized ze was in _hir_ Chloe's room. The small mural they had made as children leaning against the wall opposite Chloe's desk, Max saw a smattering of newspaper articles and photos tacked onto it before hearing a gasp come from the desk. Turning hir head slowly, dreading what ze knew must have happened, Max looked over and saw a blue-haired Chloe Price staring at hir in wonder. The bluenette's mouth hung open slightly, eyes widened, and Max immediately knew just _who_ it was ze was that was looking at hir. Unable to decide if Chloe was about to go into shock again or if she was in the midst of a heart attack, Max was pulled out of hir thoughts when the blue-haired girl spoke.

"Where…?" Chloe asked, pressing both hands to the sides of her head before wincing. A trickle of blood spilled out from both nostrils and Max hurried over to kneel in front of Chloe. Pulling off hir hoodie, Max used one of the light jacket's sleeves and dabbed at hir friend's nose until the nosebleed stopped. _It's her, the other Chloe. My Chloe… God,_ my _Chloe is gone…_

When Max got to her feet and curled up into the bed after wiping the nosebleed away, pulling the comforter to her face before taking in a deep breath, Chloe didn't know what to think. She didn't know how much time had passed, _actual_ minutes and hours, since she had been in her hospital bed looking over photo albums with the girl she had _thought_ was her childhood best friend. _I'm at… This is my old desk, and I'm in my old room. Did we just… Did Max bring me back to her present day?_ Looking around the room, momentarily oblivious to Max's quiet sobs, Chloe smirked as she took in all the posters and graffiti that adorned her old bedroom. _Not old anymore, I guess,_ the tall punk thought as she shakily got to her feet only to nearly fall over. _How messed up is it that I'm going to have to get used to walking again? Who the fuck has to get used to walking, like it is a common thing? Shit, this is all so surreal._

Looking at the laptop on her old desk, Chloe paused when she caught a hint of her reflection. Reaching over with a shaky hand, Chloe switched off the screen and gaped at the face looking back at her. Same eyes, same face, but the mouth seemed to be naturally set on frowning. _Blue hair! I have blue hair! No fucking way!_ Running her fingers through the dyed hair on her head, Chloe giggled only to choke on a lungful of air when she spotted the sleeve tattoo adorning her arm.

"Max, I have a-!" Chloe stopped mid-sentence when she saw the puffy, watery eyes look up at her before they seemed to manifest even more tears. "Holy fuck, are you okay?"

"T-The Chloe from here is _gone_!" Max croaked, her voice cracked and dry from the gut-wrenching pain she felt in her chest. "I-It's like when I was in… in your timeline. I _was_ your Max and now _you_ are _her_. I'll… I'll never see her again!" Chloe felt her heart break when Max reached by the bed and pulled out a handful of Polaroids from what Chloe guessed was the brunette's bag.

"Chill out, dude!" Chloe cried out when Max threw the Polaroids at her only to regret the harshness of her tone when Max began to cry once more. Not knowing what else to do, Chloe carefully walked over to the bed and sat next to where Max was lying down. "Max, I… I can't imagine what all this is like for you. I mean, you're so much like the girl I grew up with that I didn't know any better. You're sweet and kind, you make me feel like I'm special."

"She was a flake, and mean. The other Max. She joined The Vortex Club for fuck's sake," Max said from the pillow she had hidden her face under. "She barely cared about anyone but herself and should have kept in touch with you more. I read her texts, saw her diary. I don't know who the fuck that person was, Chloe, but it _wasn't_ me. I… I was still worse in one way, though. As much as she was a flake to you, the other Max still wrote you. I-I didn't write or call _my_ Chloe once, not fucking once!"

Chloe wanted to reach out and comfort the violently moody brunette, Max's small fist slamming into the mattress as she let out a muffled scream. _She… Did she loved her_ , _the Chloe that was here_? _Oh God, was she fucking in love with this "other Chloe" and brought me along most likely by mistake? If I'm here, then… Oh. Oh fuck…_ Burying blue-nailed hands into her hair as she leaned her elbows on her knees, Chloe felt her own eyes begin to turn misty as realization began to dawn. In bringing her along, Max had unknowingly shunted the other Chloe away from the timeline they were currently in. Her breathing coming in fast, shallow gasps, still adjusting to breathing on her own for the first time in years, Chloe's widened eyes began to look around the apartment with a franticness over what else had been changed. _What didn't you tell me, Max? What the fuck else is different here?_ Looking over her shoulder, Chloe saw Max watching her with bloodshot eyes and turned around to sit facing the brunette.

"…What else is different here, Max? This is an entirely different world and I have no clue as to what the fuck is going on," Chloe's voice was as calm as she could make it sound, but she could tell by the look on Max's face that she was epically failing at maintaining her chill. "Max, please. I need your help with-"

"William is dead," Max cut the bluenette off with a blunt whisper, but it might as well have been a scream right at Chloe's ear. "When he went to pick up Joyce after she called about groceries, William got into a car accident _and died_. A few weeks later my parents and I moved to Seattle and her life – _your_ life now, I guess – pretty much went to shit. I don't know much, we didn't talk all that much about her being gone. She smokes… _smoked_ pot, drank like a fucking lush, and swung back and forth between loving me and treating me like garbage sometimes. I went back in time to save William, to make things better for her, and found myself in this whole other world you know as your own. I-I pulled you here by accident when I tried to come back to my Chloe. Now you're stuck and my C-Chloe is _g-gone_. She's _GONE_!"

Chloe crawled backwards off the bed and fell to the floor, scrambling as she pushed herself away. Scooting backwards into the dresser, Chloe desperately tried to distance herself as much from Max Caulfield as she could. _Dad's dead? No, no that can't be right. She's fucking with me, Max is fucking with me and that is just some sick goddamn joke. You're joking, Max, but it is a shit joke. Stick to your fucking puns, asswipe._ Looking up from where she'd been staring blankly at the floor, Chloe saw a rawness in the way Max looked at her and knew that every word the brunette had just told her was true.

"N-No…," Chloe let out in a quiet whimper, tears running down her cheeks as she pressed herself even more closely against the dresser, "I-I just saw… I saw him last night, making us dinner before we chilled in my room. I… I heard him this morning, Max. I _fucking heard him._ You're lying. You're fucking-"

"You know I'm not, Chlo-"

" _Don't call me that!_ " Chloe snapped and found she didn't care when Max flinched at the venomous way her words came out. "You let my f-father _die_ , Max, and you want to use fucking cutesy-ass nicknames?! You let my father _die_."

"What's going on in there?" a rough voice asked from the other side of what was now Chloe's bedroom door. Max and Chloe both froze and waited nervously. _Who is that? Why is he in the house?_ Chloe thought as she looked over at Max and saw the girl mouth the word " _stepfather"_. _Great. Fucking great, Max. My dad is dead and you drop me in the middle of a life where I have a new one. Thanks._

"Um, nothing's going on, D-Dad," Chloe replied, raising her voice in case the person who was her stepfather couldn't hear her, ignoring the sudden look of mild amusement on Max's face, "M-Me and… and Max just fucking got into it for a sec, s'all. No worries, yeah?"

Chloe didn't know if she said the right thing or the wrong thing, but felt at ease when the sound of footsteps heading down the staircase were followed up by the front door being opened and slammed shut. Looking over at Max with a curious expression, her thoughts momentarily diverted elsewhere, Chloe waited for the brunette to explain.

"Your… David is kind of an asshole," Max said dryly, sitting up to match Chloe's gaze, "He spied on you and Joyce here with hidden cameras and harassed a friend of mine at Blackwell. I think he means well, but he doesn't know how to really _show_ his good intentions."

"What else do I need to know right now?" Chloe asked, eyeing Max suspiciously as the brunette began to collect her photos up off the floor. Letting out a deep sigh, Chloe leaned away from the dresser and began to help Max. _These pictures of the Chloe from this timeline, shots from around town, are pretty good, Maxaroni._ Browsing through a handful of Max's photos she had recovered off the floor, Chloe felt her throat seize up at a photo that she could only define as surreal; blanket pulled down to her waistline, a blue-haired girl slept on her back with a gentle smile on her face as Max leaned in to kiss the same bluenette on the cheek.

"Give that back!" Max snapped, reaching over to pluck the photo out of Chloe's hand to the taller girl's surprise. Chloe watched as Max gazed at the image in her hand with a piercing gaze before clutching it to her chest. "I-I'm sorry. Sorry, Chloe. I… I just… She's…"

"If you don't fucking want me here, Max, why don't you just go back and change things? Again," Chloe said, the icy tone in her voice alarming herself as well as Max. _I totally didn't mean it to come out like that. Fuck!_ "Max, I-"

"My powers are gone," Chloe heard Max speak, the small brunette's voice so frail and broken that the bluenette almost reached over to comfort the girl who looked like her childhood friend. _Almost_. "I-I can still rewind some, but it's starting to fade."

"Dude, your nose…!" Chloe said as she cautiously got to her feet and grabbed a box of Kleenex off the floor. Taking a seat next to Max, Chloe dabbed at the other girl's face, gently wiping away the frighteningly steady trickle of blood that was coming from Max's nose, "D-Does this happen _every_ time, Max?"

"Only when I overuse my powers. M-My batteries are running low. Need rest, need recharging," Max joked, giving the bluenette an awkward smile that Chloe found herself returning genuinely.

Chloe curled up next to Max after the brunette laid back on the bed; Max told her about everything that had happened in this timeline over the past few days, from the discovery of her powers and all the times she had saved her Chloe to the quest for Rachel Amber. When Chloe gave Max a curious look at the mention of Rachel, she'd known that something was wrong because the brunette just looked at her with a sad, empty expression. _Who the hell is Rachel Amber, Max? Was she important to you, to the… to the Chloe that_ was _here?_ Sitting up, Chloe reached into the pockets of the leather jacket she had pulled on when the room had felt unusually cold earlier. Pulling out a joint, Chloe smirked and showed the dope to Max with a dry snicker. What surprised the bluenette more was Max reaching out and taking it before asking for a light.

"Since when does Max Caulfield treat herself to Mary Jane?" Chloe asked, equal parts curious and worried. There was an odd look on Max's face that she couldn't quite make out as the brunette took in a drag of the freshly-lit doobie. Watching Max cough a bit, Chloe laughed a bit. "Well, that answers my previous question. Max, I'm not sure that pot is the best-"

"Chloe, just stop. Let me… Let me bake in peace, okay?" Max asked, the flat tone of her voice exposing the fatigue both girls were feeling. _Dad is gone, and Max is getting high. Shit, Chloe, it's not like she did all this on purpose. She's lost someone, too. Max's got to be feeling it worse than that, though. Girl's been through so much in only three days, saving Price girls left and right like some guardian angel or whatever._ Sighing, a sad grin on her face, Chloe looked over at Max and nudged the brunette with a shoulder.

"You saved me, didn't you, even though you pulled me along into Bizzaro World?" Chloe asked. When Max responded with a milder round of coughing as she toked again before giving the bluenette a reluctant smile, it dawned on her how much she needed Max. _Never mind the fact that I need a tour guide for this… this world, I guess. I felt so safe when she came to visit, my head was so light and warm. I need her, I need Max. Will she be willing to help, though?_ "Max, I'm just going to be fucking honest, okay? Did you love your Chloe, like as more than BFFs?"

"…I… I don't know," Max said, looking up at the ceiling while in thought as she continued to smoke. _Damn, hippie! Slow down or you'll get whatever the pot smoker's equivalent of brain freeze is,_ Chloe thought as she saw Max's eyes soften, "I think I might have been starting to fall for her. She was pretty rough, being through so much. We never got in touch after I left for Seattle, and the only reason we reunited initially was her saving me after I had saved her."

"But that picture, that kiss-"

"Is just a memory now, like everything else" Max's wistful tone silenced Chloe as the bluenette watched Max patiently. "C-Chloe? How did you feel? About your Max, I mean. Did you love her?"

"She wrote me, so I guess there's that, and she sent me pictures. There was something about the way she wrote later on, though, like her heart wasn't as in it anymore," Chloe said, looking down at the hands that were hers and yet not so, slowly opening and closing them, "Dude, this is all so fucking weird. I can _move_ , Max, like fucking walk and breathe and hold things. I-"

"Chloe…"

"Right. Sorry," Chloe said, shaking her head to decline the remainder of Max's joint she was offered, "I think that I might have loved her, but I don't think she felt the same way. No, I take that back. I know she didn't. At least you and your Chloe cared about each other. I felt more like I was becoming an inconvenience to the other Max, I steadily heard less and less from her. She texted me only a few times this year, and when she moved back to Arcadia Bay she never came to see me. Not once. I'd ask… I'd ask my dad and he'd say 'Oh, I'm sure she'll be around soon, Chloe' and I would just wish that Max could send me a text calling our friendship quits sometimes so I would just _know_ and not be left fucking hanging. But, then you came and I was suddenly not alone anymore…"

"Oh, C-Chloe…" Max was able to choke out the words, a pout on the brunette's face. Chloe reached over to gently rub a thumb against Max's damp cheek, brushing away the small drops coming from the other girl's eyes. Chloe smiled when the brunette snuffed the joint out in a nearby ash tray and leaned in to cuddle with her. "I'm so sorry for taking you away from your life, your world. Your dad. I-I didn't mean to, I swear."

"Shh, shh," Chloe whispered in Max's ear, rubbing Max's back tenderly as she kissed the brunette on the cheek, "I'm sorry, too, for being shitty about it. You saved me, and I'm still tripping on that, never mind the _traveling through time and fucking space._ Just don't leave me, Max. Right now, we're all either of us really has. S-Stay with me?"

"…Forever," Max whispered back, tilting her head to give Chloe a kiss. Chloe nearly pulled back when the warmth she had felt back in her own timeline at Max's presence, the Max lying next to her, radiated through her entire body and not just her head. Her entire being seeming to buzz with life, Chloe felt herself loosen up as she leaned into Max's kiss. The initial contact of their lips was desperate and feverish, both girls needing seeming to feel each other out of fear that the person they were kissing might suddenly disappear. It was awkward for Chloe, having never really kissed anyone like how Max was kissing her. _Wow, Max. You're hardcore_ , Chloe thought as she felt the brunette pry her lips open to slide a tongue into her mouth. _Where the hell did you learn this? Did you learn this from the other Chloe? Whoa, am I getting my own sloppy seconds? Dude, so fucking weird._

Parting her lips the rest of the way, Chloe slowly brought her tongue out and into Max's mouth in return, knocking her upper teeth clumsily into the other girl's. Hearing a throaty giggle come from the brunette, Chloe opened her eyes and narrowed them only to smile; Max's eyes had been open the entire time, watching her as they kissed. The kiss was clumsy, awkward, and loving; it was what both girls needed and Chloe pulled Max as close to her as possible with a handful of hoodie clutched in her hands.

"Max…" Chloe said in a breathless pant, pulling away just enough to get some oxygen into her lungs before the other girl leaned in to smash her lips against the bluenette's, "Amazeballs-"

" _Mmm,_ " the small moan from Max sending a jolt of electricity through Chloe's body. _Is this what love is like, electricity and fire? A warm feeling that floods everything you are, inside and out? Feeling like you might drown in a person, or suffocate if you back away from them…?_ "Chloe…"

Max's voice brought Chloe back, the bluenette still in mid-kiss despite what felt like a seemingly endless train of thought. The girls continued kissing, unaware of time passing them by as the minutes they spent in each other's arms turned into first one hour, then two. Kissing had evolved into searching, grasping hands, and by the time Max and Chloe were spent they were only half-dressed. Lying on the bed, clad in torn jeans and a bra, Chloe held onto a pants-less Max and flashed the grinning brunette a crooked smile as she cupped the brunette's ass with both hands. Max leaned over and gave Chloe one more kiss, her lips brushing against the bluenette's lovingly before lying her head on Chloe's chest. Running her fingers under the waistband of Max's boxers, Chloe smiled at the ticklishness of the other girl. _I don't want this to end_ , Chloe thought to herself, biting her lip as she put an arm around Max's shoulders. Both girls were so lost in the fog of their affection for one another that they didn't notice the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs until they both screamed in surprise as Joyce Price opened the door.

"Chloe? _Max_ …?" Joyce asked, one hand to her chest and the other to her eyes after she took in a glance of the half-naked girls. Max blushed and scrambled under the blankets they'd been lying on while Chloe did what she thought the other Chloe might do and flashed Joyce a wide grin.

"Uh, I'm gay. Surprise…?" Shrugging at Joyce's exasperated sigh, Chloe laughed and got to her feet before pulling on the tank-top she'd been wearing earlier. Her limbs feeling more under control than earlier, the bluenette kept the smile on her face as she walked over and gave Joyce a hug, "Sorry, Joyce. Shock value has its merits, I guess."

"…I guess so, Chloe," Joyce hesitated a moment before wrapping her arms around Chloe. _I can hug her again. She's not my mom, but she is at the same time. This is so hella weird. Oh fuck, I said "hella". Goddamnit, Max…_ "Max, get out from under there and put your pants back on. You might as well get in on this hug, kiddo."

Chloe looked over her shoulder to see Max's blushing face peek out from under the blankets. Laughing cheerily again, Chloe heard Joyce's breath catch in her throat and looked to see an expression of wonder aimed at her. _Oh, right. I'm supposed to be angsty and… no, fuck that. I don't want to pretend to be her, the other Chloe. I'm my own damn person, uh, damn it. Even if that other person is, well, me._ Breaking away from Joyce, Chloe walked over and tossed Max's jeans on the bed.

"Get the fuck up, you damn dirty hippie!" Chloe said with an elated grin as she grabbed at the blanket's end on her side with both hands, a mischievous gleam in her eye as Max furiously shook her head.

"Chloe Price, don't do it-!" Max cried out in alarm from under the blanket only to let out a scream of terrified surprise when Chloe yanked the cover away, revealing Max's half-dressed body. " _Chloe_!"

Chloe Price laughed, Joyce chiming in with a faint cough as Max hurriedly shoved both legs into her jeans while glaring petulantly at the bluenette. Chloe laughed and leaped onto the bed, taking a seat on Max's thighs, jeans pulled up only halfway, and leaned her forehead into the fuming brunette's. _You're cute when you're angry_ , Chloe thought in amusement as Max tried to look away from the grinning bluenette. Cupping Max's flush cheeks in her blue-nailed hands, tears began to fall from Chloe's eyes, her feelings a mixture of sorrow and desperate joy as realization dawned on Max's face.

"Welcome home…?" Max whispered as she leaned up to kiss Chloe on the forehead.

"Welcome home."

* * *

Chloe had assisted Max in what became the brunette's search for answers, Max telling her as they went first to Blackwell before heading to the beachfront and, ultimately, the Prescott family's barn. A combination of Max's cautiousness and Chloe's cooler head, the brunette still marveling over how different this Chloe was from the bluenette she had reunited with only days ago, the girls had pieced things together with a near-surgical methodology. While Chloe had wanted to turn over their evidence to the police, the old Chloe's influence over Max still held as the brunette told her partner-in-crime that the Prescotts essentially owned the police force in Arcadia Bay.

"This is so fucking crazy, Max," Chloe said as they entered the barn's underground bunker, Max managing to get the door unlocked after a couple attempts. _I wonder if she did her time rewinding thing_ , Chloe mused as she watched Max pass by her to enter the bunker first. _She's so fucking headstrong. Has she always been like this here, in this timeline? I guess it is_ my _timeline now, too. This shit is so much to take in. Where's a TARDIS when you need it, or Al from Quantum Leap?_ "Max, wait up!"

Max looked up from the computer ze had been browsing through, a fixed expression of horror on hir face as ze held up a hand to stop Chloe in mid-step. _You don't need this type of shit to complete your introduction to the "new world", Captain Chloe Columbus. Oh, Kate. You deserve so much better than this bullshit_ , Max thought as ze eyed image after image of a drugged, bound Kate Marsh.

"You don't need to see this, Chloe," Max's voice wavered, the tone still relatively steely despite the hurt in Max's chest. "Please, Chloe. Please just stay back while I look around."

"Max, I think I've seen plenty so far today," Chloe's stubbornness only made the brunette more resolute. _I think you've seen enough. You might be in this now Chloe, in the shit with me, but I dragged you into it and you deserve something better than walking further into the middle of this particular shitstorm._

"We don't know how long it'll be until someone comes here, Chloe. I-I need you to keep an eye out at the door like you did at the dorm, okay? I don't know what I'll find here, but I need you to trust me," Max said, waving a mildly irritated Chloe toward the direction they had come from. _The fucking dorm. Welcome to Black-Hell, Chloe._

Max had seen Chloe, the Chloe from before, look worried. Ze'd even seen hir Che look scared from the train and from Frank before that; the look of terror on the new Chloe's face, however, when Nathan had pulled a gun on them at the dorm had driven Max into a rage. Seeing Chloe visibly wilt in utter dread from a crazed, gun-wielding Nathan Prescott, Max had heard Warren try to back hir away but didn't need or want some white knight in that moment. Swinging hir foot up, Max had caught Nathan in the crotch and he fell to his knees before Max punched him in the face with hir small fist. _My hand still stings, ugh_ , Max thought to herself as ze looked down at the bruised knuckles. _I still can't believe I did that_. Telling Warren to run so as to avoid getting in trouble, Max had turned to see Chloe backpedal from hir a few steps.

"C-Chloe," Max had stuttered, her voice tight with pain as she saw the look of fear's direction transfer from Nathan to herself, "I would _never_ hurt you. I-Is that what you're thinking? How could you?"

"…I've just never seen you hit anybody before, Max," Chloe's voice was soft, her eyes darting between an unconscious Nathan and Max's watchful eyes. _This new Chloe is going to take some getting used to._ "Sorry, Max. I'm… I'm sorry. I know you'd never hurt me. We bailing?"

"We are _so_ bailing," Max had nodded in reply, grabbing Chloe by the jacket sleeve as they both ran out the door.

Warren had tried to convince the girls to let him tag along, fearful of getting in trouble or of running into Nathan again. While Max felt for hir friend, Chloe and hir had to go it alone. _I've already dragged one person into this_ , Max looked over at Chloe in regret, _I don't need to include you any more than you already have been._

"Sorry, Warren," Max had said apologetically, a faint smile on hir face as ze took Chloe's hand in hir own, "Chloe and I need to do this alone _._ "

"Oh… Wait, are you two _together_?" Warren had asked, eyes widening in surprise as Max looked up at a blushing Chloe and nodded while the other girl looked away bashfully.

"We kinda are. Sorry," Max had said, smiling even more brightly when Chloe's head jerked and she looked at Max with twinkling eyes.

"Guess I know why you kept shooting me down now, Mad Max," Warren had replied before Max put a hand to his shoulder.

"I never meant for you to take it like that, Warren. You're a sweet guy and a good friend. You should really give Brooke the shot she deserves, she's so crazy about you," Max had offered encouragingly before letting go of the boy's arm. "Chloe and I need to get back to it, but if anything comes up you think we need to know you text me, okay?"

Max, driving the old truck due to Chloe's uncertainty from only recently being able to walk, had made a beeline for the beachfront after texting Frank with Chloe's phone. Sliding out of the driver's seat, Max had Chloe stay in the truck and keep it running while ze ran to the drug dealer's RV. Pressing a hand to hir chest, the weight of $5,000 inside hir hoodie, Max banged a bruised fist on Frank's door until he answered grumpily.

"The fuck _you_ want?" Frank had asked, eyes widening when Max pulled out $3,000 in cash and handed the money to him, "What, Chloe too scared to bring it herself so she sends her fucking bodyguard?"

Max wasn't playing around anymore. Something about being the person in charge of what had been hir and the old Chloe's investigation had stoked a fire in the brunette; Max lifted up the waistband of hir hoodie to reveal David's pistol tucked into hir jeans. Seeing Frank look at hir incredulously, Max tapped it to suggest that the revolver was loaded. It wasn't, but Frank didn't need to know that. _Do or die, Max. Literally._

"I-I'm not here to fuck around, Frank, or to mess with you," Max said, calming down with a single deep breath before continuing, "Look, Chloe and I are close to finding out what happened to Rachel. _Hella_ close-"

"That's what this-" Frank started to say only to be cut off by Max.

"Would you fucking stop and let me finish?" Max wasn't sure where hir resolve was coming from but ze liked it. "I… I need your account book, Frank. I wouldn't ask anything from you if I had no other choice. Please, Frank. For Rachel."

Frank's eyes had softened a bit at the mention of Rachel and he'd reluctantly given Max and Chloe his blessing on their search along with his account book. Max had ran straight back to the truck and surprised Chloe was a celebratory kiss. Max wanted to keep going, as did Chloe, but both of them knew that there was work to be done.

"Holy shit," Max uttered as ze opened up a cabinet and saw the rows of binders with girls' names on them. _Kate…Rachel… Oh no. Victoria. She must be next…!_ Scanning through binder after binder, pictures of girls ze knew in various stages of undress, Max choked back a cry of pain at the heartbreaking images of Rachel Amber and Kate. Closing the binders, Max took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of hir nose before carrying them towards a waiting Chloe at the bunker's entrance. "Time to go."

Chloe had spoken up on the highway about going to the police, looking through the binders after Max had relented to the bluenette's determined need to assist. Max compromised and reluctantly called David Madsen. Dialing the number for his hotel room, Max sighed as ze put the phone on speaker. _I need my hands, and Chloe needs to know what she might be walking into. Who knows if Joyce will ever forgive him, but better safe than hella sorry…_

"Hello?" a gruff voice asked from the other end of the line. "Who is this?"

"Mr. Madsen, it's… It's Max Caulfield," Max said, visibly tensing at the sound of a fatigued, irritated sigh coming from hir phone. Max looked over at Chloe and grimaced as the bluenette listened in with rapt attention, fixated on this new person in what would be her new life.

"…What do you want?" the tone of David's voice sent a chill up Max's spine but ze decided that there wasn't any time for the bullshit of dealing with his bullshit attitude.

"I know you care about Chloe," Max said, looking over to see Chloe glance up at hir when the bluenette's name was mentioned, "We… We found the Prescotts' secret lair, David. We found binders of girls, date rape drugs, and a _lot_ of other creepy shit."

"…Are you fucking kidding me?" David's voice was raised to the point of crackling over Max's phone. Max was alarmed by the lack of surprise in the man's voice at his question. _Did you already know something was up, David_? "Sorry. Max, if what you're saying is true then I need you and Chloe to meet me back at the house. Bring the binders with you and anything else you might have. I know some people at the station who aren't bought and paid for by Sean Prescott or his family yet, and I can make a few calls elsewhere."

"My dad is a US Marshal," Max interjected, hearing an appreciative grunt over the phone, "Call the Seattle office and ask for Ryan Caulfield. He'll help you out, too. We'll be there in five minutes or so."

"Alright," Daivd's voice was as close to pleasant as Max thought the man would ever sound, "Radio silence until you get here. Understood?"

"Uh… Roger…?" Max asked, looking over at Chloe with a quizzical expression only to get an amused snort from the bluenette in return. _Still Chloe Price_ , Max thought with a crooked grin on hir face as ze ended the call. "Ready to crack this case, Watson?"

"Why am I Watson, Sher-crock?" Chloe feigned her pride being wounded, a hand to her chest and a teasingly mortified look on her face.

"Elementary, my dear Chlo. It's _my_ case," Max's tone of triumph elicited a chuckle from Chloe to the brunette's relief. "Honest to Dog, Chloe, I needed that."

"Needed what?"

"The sound of you laughing. I'm going to keep needing it for all the shit that'll inevitably rain down on us when all this hits the fan."

Chloe and Max surrendered their evidence to David, taking him upstairs to Chloe's room and showing him the evidence board they had put together. Watching Chloe's stepdad nod in appreciation of their "diligence", Max could stop smiling at the encouraging look he'd given hir and Chloe. Chloe had mouthed _Should I hug him or something?_ to Max when David's back was turned, Max shaking hir head emphatically before scratching the back of it when David turned his attention to hir. _What? Oh, I'm not doing anything, David. I'm certainly not having your_ new _stepdaughter not hug you because that'd be hella awkward and I have no desire to watch said awkward get all over the place._

Max and Chloe had holed up in the bedroom for the rest of the day, David giving them some cash to order some food as he called up Joyce to explain the situation as best he could. Max was done, though; after more than three days and two lifetimes, the brunette was calling it quits. _I might not be the little "chickenshit" Che told me I no longer was, but I can't keep this up anymore. I'm 18, a high school student, and I just want to sleep! Sleep!_ When Max had started to strip, ze looked over to see Chloe doing the same with an understanding smirk on the bluenette's face while they changed into the sleep clothes Max and this timeline's original Chloe Price had left behind from the morning before. Sliding into bed, Max let Chloe tuck them in and nestled hir head into the crook of the taller girl's neck.

"Comfy?" Chloe asked, appreciatively reclining as Max felt the bluenette wiggle her toes. _Loving the new freedom, Chlo?_ "Max, before you go to la-la land, can we talk?"

"Mmm, sleep…sleep _goooood..._ "

"I'm serious, Maxaroni," Chloe's tone caught the sleepy brunette's attention and Max peered up with an eyebrow quizzically raised. "You… You lost someone, and I've lost someone. Do you think… Do you want to try and-"

"We're in this together, Chloe Price, alternate timelines or what-the-fuck-ever. All I know is that when I see you I don't feel so afraid," Max said, kissing the other girl's neck before nestling hir head back where it had just been.

"That's my line, nerd," Chloe's body shook with mild laughter only to become very still. "If I need some time to work all this out, would you... would you be willing to wait for me…?"

"…You get me in bed half-naked, _again_ , and you're asking about 'space'?" Max teased, Chloe poking hir in the side when she saw the impish grin on the brunette's face. "Sure, Chloe. I'll wait for you. I've got some things of my own to work out, too. But how about for today, for this day and _maybe_ the next if you're up for it, you and I drop all the crazy and just be together. Sound good?"

Feeling Chloe pull hir in a little more tightly, Max thought that after a strange start, the week was turning out better than ze had thought it would.

* * *

 _Two Months Later..._

 **Chloe: Maaaaax**

 **Chloe: Maximus Rex!**

 **Max: u rang?**

 **Chloe: Eheheh. Sooooo…?**

 **Max: …**

 **Chloe: do NOT fucking leave me hanging, hippie. Speak "Grade" and enter!**

 **Max: Mellon**

 **Chloe: Smartass. LOTR quotes give you no power here, Gand-Max Storm-nerd! Seriously, Max-a-roon, how'd you do?**

 **Max: …85**

 **Chloe: YAAAAAS I helped you get a B, I helped you get a B *dances on bed***

 **Chloe: This is what happens when your hella smart girlfriend totally tutors your ass**

 **Max: LMAO U SAID HELLA**

 **Chloe: Agh, FFFUUUUUU…!**

 **Max: …Can I see you tonite?**

 **Chloe: sry, Maxaroni. Late shift at 2 Whales and community college's intro bullshit before that. Can't believe I'm a high school delinquent here. I was SO GOOD at school!**

 **Max: Oh buuuuuuullllshit. You can TOTALLY believe it, and you'll do great!**

 **Max: It's cool, though. I've got some packages from my parents to go through. Things… Things I'd left there until I was comfortable here.**

 **Chloe: Feeling more at ease in Black-Hell now?**

 **Max: Feel like I can really BE MYSELF, and I think it can go back to Blackwell at this point. Vortex go bye-bye, Kate's safe and sound. Even Victoria stopped being such a bish. *shrugs***

 **Chloe: I'll see you before Christmas break, right? I know things have been epically busy as fuck for both of us, Max.**

 **Chloe: I miss you xoxo**

 **Max: ;)**

 **Chloe: NO EMOJI!**

 **Max: Ugh, you SUCK! I NEVER get to have any fun with my smileys! And yes, you'll see me before break. I'll be down the 27** **th** **anyway, so if I don't see you before I'll totally see you shortly after.**

 **Max: You can see me in all my glory, because I have something to show you…and tell you…**

 **Chloe: Ohhh? Is the baby mine?**

 **Max: You are most certainly the father! Pay my child support, you cheapskate! *shakes fist in the air***

 **Max: Gotta go, Chlo. Kate and I are studying up on science with Brooke tonight. She's so much more chill since I got Warren to take her cereally…**

 **Max: Byyyyyeeeee *smooch***

 **Chloe: *hug***

 **Max: *grope***

 **Chloe: OH U *smacks dat ass***

* * *

 _December 27th_

Max looked in the mirror of hir dorm room and gave the mirror a disgruntled look. Winter break had started last week and Max had missed out on seeing Chloe, the bluenette's schedule keeping her too preoccupied. Max understood; the brunette had agreed with Chloe that it was time to get life back on track. Max had been ecstatic when Chloe had made the announced that she'd been accepted into the University of Washington's online program at a Price family dinner, Max being a near-daily regular at Joyce's by December. Wanting to wait until Max had graduated before heading to Seattle, Chloe was going to be taking online classes in the coming spring term and was ecstatic at the prospect of schoolwork to Joyce and David's surprise. That had been in the beginning of December, however, and Max was a little sad at not having seen hir girlfriend as much in the interim. _I have friends to keep me preoccupied, too. Kate, Dana, Juliet, Brooke. Shit, even Victoria and I are on friendly terms now. I also have school, for which I will be eternally grateful to Brooke and Chloe for getting me through the semester with As and Bs. My GPA thanks you, oh wise women._ Today was important to Max because ze hadn't really been able to spend a decent amount of quality "couple's time" with Chloe since early December and was finally comfortable enough to reveal how ze really was to hir friends at Blackwell and, most important of all, Chloe.

Seattle in the five-year gap between leaving and returning to Arcadia Bay had been something of an awakening for Max. Knowing something was different about hir from other kids some time before leaving, it wasn't until Max had been in Seattle for a year that ze realized that _she_ was a _ze_. Having read up on gender identity out of curiosity, Max realized that everything ze had been feeling was because ze was genderfluid. While hir self-proclaimed "default" appearance was marginally more feminine, Max had stuck to hoodies and jeans as a buffer out of fear. Afraid of how hir parents might react, Max didn't come out to Ryan and Vanessa until the Caulfields had been in Seattle for nearly _three years_. Hir two only real friends, Kristen and Fernando, had been incredibly supportive; Kristen had even let Max leave some of hir clothes at the other girl's place until the brunette felt ze could approach hir family with the news.

"Well, um, this is certainly something I didn't see coming," had been Ryan Caulfield's response, raising his hands to signal that he wasn't upset, "Max, kiddo, don't cry. I'm not upset or mad. I'm just, well, surprised."

"Sweetie, we love you no matter what," Vanessa had said, moving from her seat at the dinner table to hug Max as the small brunette clutched at hir mother's arms, "If this is who you are then this is who you are. Our love has no conditions. We're your parents."

"…I-I love you both so m-much," Max had choked out, laughing in relief at the burden of hiding from hir parents finally being released. "Mom…?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"…Will you help me go shopping for some clothes tomorrow? I-I have some money from my part-time job at the Starbucks down the block saved up and I need some clothes that, well, that _fit me._ "

Max tugged at the flesh-tone binder and pulled the waistband of hir boxers out from underneath the tight bodice. Looking at her body's profile, Max smiled in relief at how well the binder worked before running a hand through hir new pixie cut. Hir bangs left untouched so as to frame hir freckled face, Max had the stylist in Seattle cut the sides and back short and trim the top. _I_ might _get it dyed someday, but not right now. I'm still getting into the fact that I can finally be myself_ , Max thought to hirself with a crooked grin as ze lit up a joint and blew the smoke into hir reflection. _So long, Maxine. See ya, never wanted to really be ya._ Pulling on a pair of black jeans, hir new ankle-high combat boots, Chloe's "Misfit Skull" tank-top, and Rachel Amber's black and red flannel, Max slid on hir also-new black leather jacket and zipped it up as ze headed out into the hall and out of the dorm altogether. _Chloe Price, here I come!_

The main thought plaguing Chloe Price as she sat in the Two Whales diner was _What the fuck is taking Max so damn long_ , with a close second being _Why am I here on a day off?_ Chloe looked nervously at her phone, Max's only response to question after question the bluenette had sent being "Soon". _She needs to lay off Tumblr…and the Internet altogether_. Rolling her eyes as she ran a hand through her shoulder-length blue hair, Chloe pulled a rubber band off her wrist and pulled the hair into a ponytail before letting it fall back down after only a couple minutes. _Ugh, what the fucking fuck?_ Looking out the window, the Sun beginning to set, Chloe leaned down and gently banged her head on the booth's table before stopping as she heard Joyce chuckle from nearby.

"Thanks for the support, _Mom_ ," Chloe gave the older woman a wary glare before laughing at her own ridiculousness.

Getting used to the new world she'd found herself in had not been easy for Chloe. With Max there as support _and_ something of a tour guide, Chloe had managed to avoid any real pitfalls in terms of her sudden relationships with people she didn't really know. _It took me weeks just to call Joyce "Mom", but now it feels so easy. I mean, she_ is _my mom now. I guess. Maybe. Ugh, this gets so confusing sometimes. Less think, more do._ Sighing to herself, Chloe pulled out her phone again and checked her email: two notices from the University of Washington, a scholarship application PDF file sent by her academic advisor to help with tuition, and an acceptance for her new place downtown. Chloe had a lot to tell Max, and couldn't wait to spill the news that she had a place of her own. _Well, I_ will _have a place of my own in a week. Oooh, no more David and his awkward looks! Freedom, nakedness, and Max! Also, sex! Finally!_ Hearing the bell signaling a customer entering the diner, Chloe's head snapped up and she scrambled out of the booth to give her approaching Max a ginormous hug.

"I really like the new hair, and the new threads!" Chloe said between kisses, smirking at how her leather jacket and Max's nearly matched. The smaller girl giggling as she pulled Chloe down by the collar to kiss her even harder, the girls' laughter only increased as Joyce coughed to make them aware of being watched by the few patrons occupying various seats. Pulling Max along, Chloe led the brunette to their booth at the far end near the jukebox. "Take a seat, Pete!"

Seeing Max's mouth twitch, Chloe knew she had probably said something the old Chloe had but didn't push the subject. It was still hard at times for Max, but the brunette was hell-bent to push forward with Chloe into their future together. Seeing Max unzip her jacket, Chloe nodded appreciatively at the other girl's ensemble before noticing something off-color poking out from under Max's tank-top. _That a corset or something?_

"Whatcha got under the hood there, Mad Max? You ready to show me your thunderdomes?" Chloe asked, pointing with the spoon she'd been using for her coffee at Max's chest. When max looked down only to suddenly get red in the face, Chloe tilted her head slightly and gave Max a curious look. "Didn't mean to pry, babe. Just curious."

"…It's kind-of why I wanted to meet you so quickly after getting back," Max said, Chloe picking up on how measured the words were. "Chloe… Do you know about non-binary genders?"

"I've read about them, yeah," Chloe nodded, her curiosity now fully piqued as she eyed Max. "Why…?"

"W-Well, I'm… Uh, I'm…," Max stammered, hands shaking a little before Chloe watched the brunette slide them under the table. _Max? Did something happen?_

"Baby, what's wrong?" Chloe asked, frowning at the pained look on her brunette's face. "You know you can talk to me. Take a deep breath, let it all out, and relax. Tell me when you need to-"

"I'm genderfluid!" Max blurted out, eyes wide as ze realized how loud hir voice had been. Muffling a scream with hir hands, Max sank into hir seat across from Chloe until the brunette's beet-red face and hair were the only thing about hir that was visible to the bluenette. "Oh Dog, oh fuck oh fuck oh _fuck…_ "

"Y-You're genderfluid?" Chloe asked, a surprised look on her face. Getting out of her bench, Chloe walked around and hoisted Max back into the seat before scooting the brunette aside so they were sitting together. Taking one of Max's trembling hands, Chloe kissed the back of it softly, her lips leaving a damp print on the back of Max's palm. "Max, I love you no matter what. If you're genderfluid then I'm already cool with it because I'm already hella cool with you."

"…R-Really?" Max asked, peering up at Chloe from hir downcast head. "You cereal?"

"Totally cereal. Also, forget I just said the h-word, okay?" Chloe smiled when Max smirked in reply before leaning into her open arms. "Were you _that_ worried I wouldn't accept you?"

"More like nervous," Max admitted as ze tilted hir head up to kiss Chloe on the cheek, "Everything with you has been so amazing. I was afraid of rocking the boat, I guess."

"Dude, you'd have to do a lot more than come out to me for the S.S. Pricefield to fucking tip. Don't you know we're a Destroyer, with canons and all the appropriately cool shit?" Chloe asked, one corner of her lips curled up in an impish grin only to roll her eyes when Max mouthed "Pricefield?" _Such a pain in my ass sometimes, Max. The fucking pain, oh the pain._ "Okay, hippie, it's a work-in-progress. Still, has a nice ring to it. So, what pronouns am I supposed to use? Guess you've got another reason to despise being called ' _Maxine'_ , huh?"

"'They' and 'Their' are fine, but I also use 'ze' for he/she and 'hir' for him/her/his/hers/herself/himself. Dog, Chlo, you're such a dork."

"And you're my amazeballs nerd. I told you I know one when I be one," Chloe said, smiling down at Max before the order Chloe had made prior to Max's arrival of two Belgian Waffles arrived. "You ready to nosh?"

"Chlo, I am hungry like the fucking wolf," Max added, reaching across to grab the utensil set for Chloe before digging into hir own meal. "You messaged me that you had some news, too. What's up?"

Smirking at Max's mouthful of food, lightly-freckled cheeks puffed out, Chloe smiled before stabbing her waffle and pulling a piece into her mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, Chloe eyed Max with a mischievous glint in her eyes before finally speaking.

"Drumroll please," Chloe said, snickering when Max tapped hir index fingers lightly on the booth's table, "Thank you, you're too kind. I'm… I'm getting a place of my own, dude! Do you know what this means?"

"No more secret showers together?" Max whispered excitedly, hir face aglow with delight before the jaw-dropping horror of Chloe's following outburst of " _Sex_!"

" _Chloe_!" Max said reproachfully, eyes as wide as they would go before ze and Chloe looked to the counter and saw an ashen-faced Joyce open her mouth and close it a few times before awkwardly walking behind the counter to the other side of Two Whales.

"Sorry," Chloe apologized, her hands clasped together as though in supplication to Max, "Seriously, though. _Sex._ I want it."

"For fuck's sake," Max replied, putting a hand to hir face in resignation while Chloe looked at hir excitedly.

The days counted down to New Year's, Max and Chloe refusing to leave the other's side, and Max couldn't be more excited as Blackwell's New Year's Formal approached. _First dance ever_ _, and I have the hottest date on campus_ , Max cheerily thought to herself as she gave herself a once-over. Hir hair perfectly set up, sporting a tuxedo that Victoria had helped hir pick out, Max checked herself out in the mirror appreciatively. _I make this look good_ , Max thought to hirself before rolling hir eyes, _That sounded so stupid. I'm glad I didn't actually say that shit out loud. Ugh._ Pulling the bow-tie off, Max unbuttoned the shirt up a bit by opening the top button and opened the jacket entirely. Sticking hir hands in the pants' pockets, Max examined hirself in the mirror one more time and nearly jumped when someone knocked on the door. _It better be Chloe. She's already 10 minutes late, and the New Year's Dance is about to start in the gym!_

"Sorry, sorry," Chloe apologized as Max cracked the door open, eyes glaring through the doorway before the brunette's jaw metaphorically dropped.

"Wow, Chloe," Max said in a breathy voice, hand on hir chest as though ze were about to have a heart attack, "You look… You look so beautiful…"

Dressed in a knee-length strapless dress that was black with little white skulls scattered about like polka-dots, Chloe was sporting woolen leggings and her old boots. Blue hair tied back into a single braid though still thoroughly capped with a beanie, Chloe smiled tenderly as Max stood on hir tip-toes to give hir girlfriend a kiss.

"Seriously, you look amazing, Chlo," Max purred in Chloe's ear, hir hands slipping around the bluenette's waist, "I'm curious as to what you're wearing underneath this dress, though."

"You'll get your New Year's gift _later_ , Caulfield. Don't squander that Irish luck of yours, hippie," Chloe said with a grin before offering her hand to Max, the brunette taking it and returning Chloe's smile with one of hir own. "Shall we thrash?"

"Ready for the mosh pit, Shaka Brah."

"…You're not allowed to speak until we're back in your room. Fucking Jesus Christ, 'Shaka Brah'. What the actual hell?" Chloe muttered, looking over and breaking into a fit of giggles at the sight of Max's puppy eyes. "C'mon, _nerd_. Dance for me!"

"How about with you, _dork_?"

"That is fine, too." The couple headed into the stairway of Max's dorm, arm in arm with eyes only for each other.

 **Author's Note –**

 **That was fun! I like new ideas and characterizations – make my stories more enjoyable to write ^_^**

 **Again, just to reiterate, the Chloe-centric perspectives refer to Max with feminine wording** _ **only**_ **until Max comes out at Two Whales because Chloe doesn't know until Max is genderfluid until that point in the story. The whole point behind it is to give awareness about not only properly referring to someone who is genderfluid with the right pronouns but also how difficult it may be for someone you know or love that is genderfluid to come out to you. My ex-significant other took nearly five years before ze came out to hir family.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this story :D**

 **Read, review, and I'll see you later!**

 **Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!**


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